ODT Market to Exceed $13 Billion by 2015

The market for orally disintegrating and fast-dissolving tablets could exceed revenues of $13 billion by 2015, based on upward global growth trends, according to a report from Technology Catalysts International, a technology-transfer and business-consulting firm based in Virginia. The report explains that orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) and oral thin films (OTFs) have continued to expand as dysphagia (i.e., difficulty swallowing), patient compliance, and consumer convenience issues gain prominence.

The combined ODT markets in the US, European Union, and Japan doubled in size during the past four years and exceeded $6 billion in revenue in 2009. The ODT markets' value has also been bolstered by the increase in generic competition. According to the report, there are now more than 450 available commercial over-the counter (OTC) and prescription ODT products, thanks partly to the introduction of generic formulations and an increase in the number of generic manufacturers.  In addition, brand companies are also looking for new innovative and differentiating concepts.

New OTC OTFs are also being commercialized in the US with the goal of entering markets such as pain management and motion sickness, which demand a fast onset of action. More than 80 OTF brands have been launched in North America since 2003, and the market is well positioned for further growth, according to the report.

“More importantly, prescription OTFs have now been approved in all three major regions (i.e., US, EU, and Japan),” says the report. “These approved Rx films, along with several key molecules in the OTF pipelines, have potential to cannibalize other oral dosage forms of the same drugs.”